1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a ratchet wrench structure.
2. Description of the Related Prior Art
A conventional ratchet wrench in accordance with the prior art comprises a wrench head defining a receiving hole and a receiving chamber, a ratchet wheel mounted in the receiving hole and provided with a plurality of teeth, a pawl pivotally mounted in the receiving chamber, a first locking plate rested on a first side of the pawl, a first spring pressed between the first locking plate and the wall of the receiving chamber, a second locking plate rested on a second side of the pawl, and a second spring pressed between the second locking plate and the wall of the receiving chamber.
In operation, the pawl member can be rotated in one direction to a first position where the first locking plate is pressed by the first spring to mesh with one of the teeth of the ratchet wheel so that the ratchet wrench is operated along one direction only. Alternatively, the pawl member can be rotated in the reverse direction to a second position where the second locking plate is pressed by the second spring to mesh with one of the teeth of the ratchet wheel so that the ratchet wrench is operated along the other direction only.
However, the locking plate is engaged with the ratchet wheel by one tooth only, thereby decreasing the engaging strength of the ratchet wheel so that such a conventional ratchet wrench cannot be used to withstand a larger torque.